I’ve been hearing so much anger and disappointment from frontline workers about the BBC investigation into fraudulent asylum claims. One of the most damning responses has come from one of the experts they interviewed, solicitor Ana Gonzalez. It’s really worth reading her response in full:

Very short but also very clear: ”…linking aid, migration and deterrence has not delivered what it promised and is not based in evidence. Development policy should be steered by development outcomes and not by its presumed effects on migration.”

Excellent letter by @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social and @clairekumar.bsky.social on the @financialtimes.com arguing that making development aid conditional on migration objectives makes for inefficient migration policy and bad aid policy. www.ft.com/content/f071...

The Home Secretary is chasing Reform to get headlines while failing on the bigger problems of dangerous small boat crossings and use of hotels. This measure is a red herring that will only add more bureaucracy - which they won’t be able to cope with! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This paper with @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social questions the extent to which deterrence policies have their intended or assumed effects. Preferred destinations are rarely identified solely, or even primarily, on the basis of migration policies onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

A new paper by George Borjas—who served this past year in the Trump White House designing some of its anti-immigration policies—claims to display evidence of ideological bias among researchers who study immigration. doi.org/10.1126/scia... 🧵 Thread—>

Join our special event tomorrow with leaders of Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms – a courageous grassroots movement redefining what citizen-led humanitarian action looks like. We'll hear insights about Sudan's trajectory & the future of aid. Sign up to join in London/online: odi.org/en/events/th...

Very pleased to see that in this current race to the bottom, there's a Labour MP out there who's views are based on an understanding of how migration works - this kind of honesty is the only way to "control migration" and regain the public's trust

Racing further to the bottom of the immigration policy pit won't work - it won't stop migraton & won't regain the public's trust. @willforster.bsky.social rightly points out that what is needed is a better funded asylum system - that processes people quickly & the integrates them in work and society

Among the many things wrong with Labour’s immigration strategy, this stands out: to “fight” a few thousand so-called illegal migrants, Shabana Mahmood is willing to make life hell for hundreds of thousands of people who are legally in the UK. 🔗 theconversation.com/labours-plan...

Mahmoud has listened to same clique of senior Home Office officials who have advised for 30+ years that loud announcements of punitive policies will deter refugees from coming to UK to seek asylum. Labour did this extensively last time. It didn’t work. A history thread. +

Indeed. Legal migration to the UK is, by definition, "controlled". This is not a coherent critique (of either New Labour or the Conservatives) either economically or politically.

Politicians have lost control over immigration not because of high numbers coming but because they have consistently ignored the evidence on how migration works. Control will come from honesty, see: shorturl.at/DKrHL

It’s party conference season – and bombastic statements on immigration are at the top of playlists. I for one am tired of hearing the same old emotionally charged promises that just don’t relate to reality. You too? Here are five things you should be hearing about immigration, but won’t be.

📢 NEW RESEARCH: With extensive knowledge of local contexts and roots within crisis-affected communities, why are women-led organisations still chronically underfunded and excluded from decision-making? Our new paper from @this-is-cate.bsky.social & @megandaigle.bsky.social explores: buff.ly/NAjy6qJ

Podcast on who is the anti-migration agenda actually serving & what are the alternatives? Insights from the MIGNEX project, which gathered a range of perspectives on migration & global development. With Leander Kandilige @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/5ql4...

Mass deportations are not a new strategy in US politics. But it's time to move beyond the excessive securitisation approach, say @this-is-cate.bsky.social & Yacine Ait-Larbi, and recognise that migration can benefit everyone – host countries, migrants and countries of origin. Read on: bit.ly/4mCzsmb

#Syria’s interim govt has announced its first post-Assad elections, but deep societal fractures & recent violence highlight the ongoing fragile situation. HPG researcher Leen Fouad urges global humanitarians to prioritise safety, localisation & accountability going forward – read on: bit.ly/41qOSBF

Is subjective or objective inequality a more powerful predictor of migration aspirations? Read our new #MIGNEX paper in PSP to find out: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Tackling the 'root causes' of migration may seems to make sense intuitively, but doesn’t match how people actually make decisions about migration, say @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social and @jorgencarling.bsky.social – and may even lead to misguided policies. Read on: buff.ly/ggdsuJx

One particular policy fixation that does not seem to go out of fashion is to "tackle the root causes of migration". Does reducing hardships lower migration aspirations? @jorgencarling.bsky.social answer this in 800 words using #MIGNEX data from more than 13,000 interviews. 👉 shorturl.at/CrPs3

There has never been a more important time to uphold the protection of civilians. Join us at Protection of Civilians Week as we discuss re-centring protection amidst a world in flux. 📆 23 May 🕗 15:00-16:30 EDT/20:00-21:30 UK time 📍 Online/in-person (NY, USA) 🔗 RSVP: buff.ly/FxgKVdn #PoCweek2025

Last week we sent the inaugeral edition of "The Migration Brief", @odi.global's Migration & Displacement Hub's newsletter, bringing together our insights help to understand and navigate the complexities of migration ✉️ Sign up here to receive the next edition: odi.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

One week to go! 🗓️ Join us on 13 May in London (or online) to hear @ugentilini.bsky.social discuss the roots of modern cash transfer dilemmas and share lessons for contemporary challenges. Find out more and sign up ⤵️

The recent #MyanmarEarthquake has compounded existing humanitarian needs, while the military persists with airstrikes. Join us online for a discussion exploring the many deeply contested dynamics in Myanmar during this critical moment. 🗓️ 9 April 🕑 1pm BST/6:30pm Myanmar Time 🎟️ RSVP: buff.ly/UBVuIPg

🚨 THIS WEEK: We're heading to #HNPW, a major humanitarian conference. HPG's @kerrie115.bsky.social, @j0hnbryant.bsky.social, @verobarbelet.bsky.social & Leen Fouad will be exploring the key issues facing our sector in 2025 and beyond – more info + RSVP to join online/in-person → buff.ly/WmUVKHC

In light of a rise in populist politics and anti-immigration protest in the UK, a new paper by our Distinguished Fellow Vince Cable explores the underlying drivers – how policy-makers are managing these tensions.

📣 We're heading to Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks! From 20-27 March, we'll be taking part in a range of discussions to unpack the increasingly pressing issues that currently challenge the humanitarian sector. 🔗 More info & register to attend: buff.ly/KLBWelQ #HNPW

Here's a small, 15-year-old scoop: I found a 2010 guide on how to beat the far right written by Morgan McSweeney. Since he's now Keir Starmer's chief of staff, I used it to assess what Labour is doing to beat the far right in 2025. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4... @lrb.co.uk

At the event “Migration – is the media getting it right?” convened by @odi.global & @ibtrust.bsky.social we explored the process, challenges & impacts of migration coverage w/ journalists, media & migration experts. I was thrilled to contribute to the esteemed panel - recording available from IBT.

Migration does not have to be what it is now Innovation can change what migration *is*—more orderly, skilled, integrated, & tangibly beneficial to everyone affected In 2012 I proposed one way: Global Skill Partnerships The World Bank just released a major GSP roadmap—> hdl.handle.net/10986/42780

We had a fantastic morning co-hosting this panel discussion with @odi.global on media representations of migration and refugee stories. Many thanks to our panel and for everybody who attended.

🚨 New #StarterPack alert! Stay up to date with our work by following the people behind the Humanitarian Policy Group's critical research: go.bsky.app/DLpdtkC

Save the date – 13 Feb 🗓️ Alongside @ibtrust.bsky.social we're bringing together journalists, media and migration experts to discuss the process, challenges and impacts of migration coverage. Sign up to join in-person (London): https://buff.ly/42GJtYM

What is referred to as 'vulnerability analysis' is often about assessing relative poverty or need. But is it useful for humanitarian response in its current form? If not, how can we make it so? Read on in our latest report, which draws on lessons from #Somalia & #Ukraine ➡️ buff.ly/4hJW7KL

Join us for an exciting, in-person event on the role, responsibility and challenges of the media in relation to migration reporting, with the International Broadcasting Trust! I will be joined by a stellar panel of journalists and migration experts - register here: shorturl.at/S9mBx

Welcome to our new followers! 👋 Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? Sign up to stay on top of all of HPG's cutting-edge research, events and more 📧➡️ bit.ly/HPGupdates2025

Internal displacement has long been a neglected issue on the international stage and numbers are growing – but recent years have seen an uptick in policy momentum on the issue. Here, HPG and @refugeesintl.bsky.social highlight 4 priority actions for internal displacement in 2025 👉 buff.ly/42kqAdZ

Recently, Neem Foundation and HPG partnered on a research project highlighting ongoing power imbalances rooted in #colonialism and white supremacy in Global North-Global South #research collaborations. Neem Foundation reflect on the partnership in this new blog 👉 buff.ly/4jmysBQ

🏗️ Do public works programmes build long-term resilience? A new report by recent HPG researcher Simon Levine in #Ethiopia & #Kenya paints a troubling picture – and holds important lessons for future aid and development. Read on: buff.ly/4asIPQC @sparc-ideas.bsky.social

Out now for #MigrantsDay: a new three-part blog series highlights the fundamental freedoms and rights of all migrants, including asylum seekers, IDPs and refugees. 📣 The blogs explore how policies and programmes can better support migrant rights in contexts where they are under threat. (1/5)

Bombastic language about ‘smashing criminal smuggling gangs’ dominates in the UK and elsewhere, but intensified border controls only drive these risks. @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social & Katharine Jones (Coventry University) call for a reality check.

New piece by Katharine Jones & me: the obsession with curbing small boats continues – it’s time for a reality check odi.org/en/insights/...

I recently co-authored a policy brief published by The European Think Tanks Group (ETTG): “The EU-Africa Migration Agenda: Realizing a New Partnership.” Great collab w Claire Kumar, @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social, and @anna-knoll.bsky.social @odi.global, @ecdpm.bsky.social and NAI. ettg.eu?p=9216

Come and work with my brilliant sister Franzisca Zanker on her ERC project on the politicisation of migrants in Africa - you will work in a stimulating team and have the space and support to grow, all in beautiful Freiburg!

The 2nd edition of the Handbook on Research Methods in #migration is out, edited by Will Allen & Carlos Vargas-Silva! My chapter is on how to use satellite maps to build sampling frames. Some chapters are #OpenAccess, including my own, drawing on #MIGNEX experiences. 👉 tinyurl.com/4pydknxs

How have European and other leaders across the world "managed" migration? In particular, how do they view the relationship between migration and development? 🌎 These questions and more are addressed in the latest virtual edition of ODI's #DevPolicyRev → https://buff.ly/4fhDzk4

What do 6 Development Policy Review papers say on the migration-development nexus, the use of aid for migration and how donors influence the kind of migration flows considered and questions asked? These articles are now #openaccess in the virtual DPR issue: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1...

Which societal circumstances and individual characteristics make people wish to migrate to another country? We talked to 13,000 people in 10 countries to answer this question in our #MIGNEX *World Development* article - open access here: sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

#Immigration is such a hot button topic. So much heat, so little light. ODI think tank's @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social wrote this piece for The Conversation about what doesn't work in migration policymaking. Warning: it may challenge your assumptions. theconversation.com/why-many-pol...